As his limo pulled up to the house where Casmir would stay, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Not necessarily in a bad way, he just felt unsettled, restless, and tense.

Well, it could’ve been because he was more than a thousand miles away from home.

He knew absolutely no one, it was his senior year in high school, and he was going to be spending it in a country he had never been to before.

“Yes I imagine that might make a person tense,” Casmir said to himself. He looked at the house and noticed it was quite large – two stories with a wrap-around porch.

It actually looked like a house you might see out in the country, not in a suburb. The yard was nicely manicured with short green grass.

There was a whistling pine tree to the right of the walkway with a quaint bench underneath.

On the porch there were two rocking chairs and a swing, and between the chairs was a little table with a potted plant.

Overall, it was a charming home. A home in which a person would feel comfortable – a normal home.

Casmir hoped this was the case because ‘normal’ was not usually a part of his vocabulary.

He was, after all, from a family of werewolves. Specifically Grey wolves (Canis lupus). Not only that, he just happened to be the son of the Pack’s current Alpha.

His name, Casmir Ryszard, literally meant “CrownWolf.” How fitting for the Prince of the Poland Greys.

What could possibly be normal about your family being able to change into wolves, or being a prince of those wolves yourself?

Nothing in that scenario could ever be normal. You made this choice, Casmir told himself.

Now you have to live with it. So get out of the car. Casmir wasn’t really sure why he had even decided to apply to the foreign exchange program.

He just knew he’d felt a pull, like a butterfly to a flower, to come to the United States.

And not to just any city in the United States, but to Cypressville, Texas.

Why he thought it was a good idea to leave his home in Poland was a mystery.

Okay, no more stalling, Casmir thought. He looked up at Olek, his driver and friend, and said, “I guess this is it. Dziekuye (thank you), my friend, for coming all this way to drop me off.

I appreciate it.

Think nothing of it, my Prince. It is always an honor to serve you.”

“Oh, come now. Don’t go getting all formal on me.

Here in Cypressville, I’m just a high school student, not a prince, Casmir said. Casmir knew this was hard for his friend, though Olek was actually

his personal guard and had been since Casmir was a child.

Olek had actually wanted to stay in the U.S. with Casmir , but Casmir had insisted Olek go home and let him be on his own for a while.

Because there were no other Greys in this area, it wasn’t likely that he was going to get into a battle.

Wolves took great comfort in touch; it was as much in their nature as breathing and even in human form they tended to touch more than humans.

Casmir patted Olek on the back and stepped away.

Out of nowhere, Casmir caught a passing thought in his mind that

He must be more than just his driver.” Casmir turned his head to look toward the thought’s origin, and locked eyes with a girl in a window of the two-story house across the street.

The belief by humans that men “changed” into werewolves was false. Casmir was able to do what the Canis lupus called “phasing”.

The wolf and the man were one, there was no changing from one to the other. A change would mean that once a man was in wolf form he was no longer a man, but fully wolf, and when in human form that he was fully human.

This was not the case. A Canis lupus was always aware of his wolf, as was the wolf always aware of the man.

They usually existed together harmoniously.

He phased just enough to let his wolf eyes do the looking.

Although the Grey wolf’s eyesight wasn’t as good as its hearing, its night vision was the best of all the breeds of wolves. He found himself looking into eyes the color of emeralds.

It registered in Casmir ’s brain at that moment that he had “heard” her thoughts.

There was only one person in the world that a Grey could hear thoughts from his mate.

His wolf growled possessively, and he took several deep breaths to keep from phasing.

He discovered for the first time what it was like to not be in harmony with his wolf.

The wolf wanted out, he wanted to go to his mate, his other half. Casmir knew it was a better idea not to phase into his wolf and go pining at her window like a lovesick pup.

Reflexively, he sent her a thought as he picked her name out of her mind.

At last, my Emily.”

It was so natural to claim what was his, and she was without a doubt his, whether she knew it or not.

Judging from the look on her face, she had heard him, and for a minute he thought she just might pass out from shock.

Further confirming that she was his mate, he could feel her distress and confusion.

But he knew she would be fine, she was strong.she had power that other female Greys did not.

Another thought, one to assure her this encounter wasn’t their last.

“Soon,” he thought, and once again felt her confusion as he walked in the house.

Welcome to our home, Casmir , Mrs. Conrad said, reaching out to hug him.

Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home.

I appreciate your generosity greatly,” Casmir said sincerely. “You must be tired from your long trip.

Why don’t we show you your room and let you get settled for the night.